I chose to do my project about "Palestinian Media Watch" because the media is a main part of our fight against the Palestinians. The technology in the world is developing very quickly, and as much as it's good, it can also be used for bad influence. The issues PMW works with have a huge impact ontheway the worldthinks about thePalestinians, and through that – they also impact the way the world thinks about Israel.Those things really interest me, and I want to expand my knowledge about these matters.
In Which Ways Does "Palestinian Media Watch" Affects The World's Opinion About Israel?
Everyone likes the Web. It's easy to use and you can find anything you want to know – in just one click. People can write anything they want and post it for others to see. That's why it is so easy to deceive people and give them false information about many things. That's only one of the effects "Palestinian Media Watch" is trying to prevent – The world's falling into the trap called the Palestinian media. The "Palestinian Media Watch" (PMW) was established in 1996 By Itamar Marcus. It's an Israeli research foundation that focuses on studying about the Palestinian authorities, by checking out different perspectives and analyzing the Palestinian culture, education and media. PMW's main target is to reveal the real messages the Palestinian leaders are sending to the Palestinian nation, and to the whole world population. The findings of those studies are usually presented to the world through the web, through reports PMW pass to leaders in different countries, and also through lectures representatives from the foundation gives in numerous universities, parliaments and other different places. The organization has a YouTube channel that contains hundreds of videos. Itamar Marcus, the founder and head of PMW, is one of the biggest experts in Palestinians ideology. He was chosen by the government to represent Israel in negotiations with the Palestinians and the USA on the issue of incitement. He lectured about Palestinians policy studies in academic and political institutions, as well asUSA and European parliaments. There are a lot of other 'watchdog groups', for instance the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Their goal is to stop the slander against the Jews by appealing to the defamer's thinking and conscience, and if needed, by appealing to the law.They focus on Anti-Semitism in articles and cartoons that appear every day in the Arab media around the world. ADL also presents their finding in reports that are spread all over the world. The Palestinian Media Watch, however, focuses more on what's going on in the Palestinian community. One thing they have succeeded in proving is the fact that the Palestinians educate their kids to "martyrdom", that is to develop and do suicide attacks in Israel. The Palestinian authorities, in contrast to the statements they make, do encourage the children to die "For Allah", and the kids are pushed by their parents, friends and educators to "Shahada" (martyrdom). Here are some examples PMW found about the case: The first example is from a TV interview with the father of Ayat al–Akhras, a 17 year old, who killed two people and wounded 22 in a suicide attackin Jerusalem on the year 2002. The host of the show said that the goal of the 'Shahid' (martyr) Ayat al-Akhras deserves maximum respect. He emphasized that due to the fact that Ayat was very young when she became a "Shahid", she is a hero. Another example is a music video that was played on the Palestinian TV between the years 2001-2004 that was named: "Martyrdom is sweet". The song described a letter written to the parents of a teenage boy who died as a 'Shahid': "Don't be sad my dear father, and don't cry over my parting. My dear father, for my country, I sacrificed myself. With determination and desire, I will keep my promise. How sweet is Shahada, when I am embraced by you, my land! My beloved, my mother, most dear to me, be joyous over my blood, Don't cry for me." (Palestinian Media Watch, 7)
In short, we see here that the Palestinians are trying to solve the conflict with Israel not through peace, but through killing and encouraging their kids to follow their lead and work out the problem only with violence. This way, the world can see that though Israel tries hard to bring this conflict to an end, they come across a dead end due to the Palestinian's twisted position. Another thing PMW is responsible for is exposing Anti- Semitism in Palestinian schoolbooks: There were books that reflected the Palestinian's refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist, others that justified the war against the Jews and called it an everlasting battle in the name of the Islam religion. In one of the books there was a paragraph that said: "Palestine’s war ended with a catastrophe that is unprecedented in history, when the Zionist gangs stole Palestine and expelled its people from their cities, their villages, their lands and their houses, and established the State of Israel." (Palestinian Media Watch, 22). That’s only one example, and PMW is responsible for finding many more. They published a long report about this matter, and when leaders all over the world heard about that, they were shocked. Senator Hillary Clinton, in the press conference releasing the PMW report in the USA Senate building said: “These textbooks do not give Palestinian children an education; they give them indoctrination. It is disturbing on a human level, it is disturbing to me as a mother, and it is disturbing to me as a United States Senator, because it basically, profoundly poisons the minds of these children.” (Palestinian Media Watch, 22)
In conclusion, thanks to the "Palestinian Media Watch", the world is exposed tothe true face of the Palestinian leadership. They understand that behind the"innocent "Arabs, lays a very easy trap to be caught in. PMW makes sure that the world will understand trying to bring peace to the Middle East, but every time they hit a dead end that is expressed very well in the Palestinian media.Therefore, some countries stopped transferring funds to the Palestinian leadership due to PMW reports that proved that the Authority uses the money for indoctrination of hatred and incitement against Israel and other countries. Thanks to the organization,Israelis exposed-not like a wild animal the Palestinian media is trying to present Jews as-but as a state that seeks peace and not war. Itamar Marcus and his team are slowly succeeding in their goal, and they should be proud of what they did, and keep up with the great and hard work they are doing.
I chose to interview Harav Pinchas Rubenstein because of a talk we had with him in Bnei - Akiva. He talked about his work in the 'Zoola', and I remember I was fascinated and wanted to hear more about it. I also heard from my parents a lot of great stories about him, and he sounded like an amazing person - which he is. It was a great interview and I was inspired very much from him. His amazing work in the 'Zoola' and his stories about it made me think about my life and how incredibly good they are. Those teenagers are around my age, and it really made me thank Hashem for everything he gave me. They also gave me an aspiration to give and to help more, as well as to become more aware of people me that may not look like they need help, but they do.
How did Rabbi Pinchas Rubenstein get to the 'Zoola' (the 'Zoola' is slang for a place to relax and hang out) and decide to work there? That is an amazing story: Back in 2000, when he still worked in "Makor Chaim" Yeshiva (Talmudic college) and lived in Jerusalem, Rav Rubenstein had a non-religious neighbor that thanks to Rubenstein became religious. At some point that neighbor began to work in the 'Zoola' and told Rubenstein that he has to come and see the place. Then he already lived in Neve Daniel, so one night he went to the 'Zoola 'with a neighbor who was also involved with the place. He described the first picture as "shocking, to see dozens of teenagers in really bad situations, and being told that most of them are religious. I saw drunkards and drugged teens, girls in terrible situations–it was awful". Rabbi Rubenstein and the neighbor stayed there till 3 AM, and when he came home he couldn't fall asleep. The visions from the visit popped up and gave him no rest, and finally when he fell asleep, he had a dream. The dream started with the actual events that happed that night: Going to the 'Zoola',being there for a couple of hours, coming back home and having sleep disruptions. But in the dream, instead of eventually falling asleep, Rubenstein decided to return to the 'Zoola'. Usually he has a problem just going somewhere because he has no driver's license, but in the dream the car drove by itself, with no driver. He got to the 'Zoola', but not where it was located then, but where it is today after it was transferred a few years later. When he entered the 'Zoola', he was blinded by very strong light, and when his eyes adjusted he saw lots of people that look like big and famous Rabbis, talking with each other. After several minutes of examination and astonishment, he woke up, and immediately knew that he's going to work inthe 'Zoola'. He knew that if those souls are really what he would deal with in that place, he must go back there. Once he got a feeling from above that tells him he can work with these kinds of people, even if they don't look like it but deep inside they are like it, he knew he needed to do it. He has this thought in his mind when he talks to a teenager from the 'Zoola', or anyone else: He knows the person has a pure soul inside of him, under all the outer covers which might not be so clean. Rabbi Pinchas Rubenstein was born in Santiago, Chile. In 1971, when he was 11, there was a revolution; the Marxists took over Chileand nationalized a lot of money, coal mines and more. Serious economic problems developed, and as a result a lot of citizens, and among them a lot of Jews, immigrated to different places. Rubenstein's father decided that the family would move next to his brother, who was a head of a community in Germany. When he lived in Germany, Rubenstein refused to learn in non-Jewish school after learning in a Jewish school in Chile, therefore, he made 'Aliyah' (immigration to Israel) by himself and joined his sisters, who already lived in Israel. Rabbi Rubenstein was inspired by his parents. Back in Chile, his father was the Rabbi of the community they lived in. That means he was also a slaughterer, a Mohel (circumciser) – all the things a Jewish community needs him to be. Rubenstein describes his home as a very warm and happy place, a home that was always opened to any human being – doesn't matter where he came from or in what social class he's in. The family held in the house events such as weddings and ritual circumcisions for people who had no ability to do it themselves. Those small and big deeds were the main inspiration for Rubenstein's work in the 'Zoola'. The 'Zoola' was established in the year 2000. It's a meeting place for teenagers that are "searching for themselves", and go through a hard time in many ways: with parents, religion, school and more. A lot of those teens reach really bad places and behavior, and the founders of the place felt like they couldn't turn a blind eye. The 'Zoola' works on Tuesdays 'till 8 PM and Saturdays through the night. The main thing they do in the 'Zula' is talk: there is a crew of about 20 people whom the teens can turn to anytime. The place is a warm and homey place, and they accept everyone with no stigmas or terms. The best way for a person to return to a good path is to come back to his own self, and in the 'Zoola' the staff tries to help the teens to that. Of course, not everyone can relate or handle a conversation, so there are also some classes- art, music and creative writing. In this way those kids can work on themselves in a way they are most comfortable with. Furthermore, there is a computers room, a 'Beit Midrash' (place of Torah study) and a very special 'Zoola' area only for girls. Rubenstein himself, among other staff people, has conversation with the teens. In those conversations they work to take off their masks and reach the core of their thinking. "To speak with those kids you need to develop skills for knowing how to work with every one of them personally by what he is,how to connect to each according to his level. It's amazing to see how changes evolve slowly, but it takes a lot of patience and those processes often takes a long time- sometimes even several years". In addition, Rubenstein also talks with concerned parents, who are worried because they don't know what the 'Zoola' is. When they come and talk to him, they understand where their kids hang out -and relax. Rubenstein described a case of a guy who came every Saturday night from the Golan (3 hour away!), and his parents couldn't understand why he did that. When they came to the 'Zoola' for a talk and to see the place, they understood why it's so important for their child and relaxed.
The work in the 'Zoola' is very intensive, and Rubenstein doesn't have a lot of spare time. But he likes working there very much: "I couldn't do something without liking it. You can't really work in the 'Zoola' and do it with all your heart if you don't like it". He also talks about the satisfaction that he gets from working with the kids: "Receiving an invitation for a wedding of a girl who was in a very bad place a couple of years ago, and now she's marrying a yeshiva guy and looks very happy, is amazing. I can't even imagine in what place that girl would be, if it wasn't for the work in the 'Zoola' ".
When he does have some free time, Rabbi Rubenstein learns 'Torah' (Jewish biblical and rabbinic literature), and in the past he even gave 'Torah' lessons. He says that the 'Torah' taught him about lots of things in every level of life, and he loved the fact that he had a chance to pass it on. Besides, he also spends time with his family- He has 6 kids and 3 grandchildren, and he loves them all very much. The work in the 'Zoola' affected and influenced Rubenstein's life in a lot of aspects. It gave him a chance to see the religious youth from a different perspective, and since he's still connected to "Makor Chaim" and still goes there at least once a week, he sees the contrast between the youth from the 'Zoola' and the young 'Yeshiva' guys. That contrast makes him look at each person from different angles, finding his own special self without including him in a group. Harav Pinchas Rubenstein repeatedly emphasized during the interview that the most important thing is love. He learned, during his work in the 'Zoola', that the main ingredient that's missing in these teen's life, and in the world generally, is love. Love is a big issue, and no one can define it easily. He talked about a guy in the 'Zoola' who told him that if he could find the definition of love, and if he could 'sell the patent', he'd be a millionaire. There is no meaning for anything without love because then there are no feelings or communication. Without love, you can't get anywhere, and you can't really give.
Personal Connection
When we think about the "faces of Israel", we mostly think about our politicians, singers or basketball teams. We all usually think about the people that make the big, famous changes, the people that everyone knows their name and life story.
In this collage I made, I tried to show a different aspect of the faces of Israel. Every association was started by a small person or group, which wanted to change something, wanted to help. Every association has a different purpose and gives response to different groups in need. Those associations affect the life quality of many families, groups and people: The amazing projects they have, the huge impact they have on people's lives – that's what's important in our community and in our country. To think that they were all started by a small group or person – that makes me want to go out and make a change. Not the biggest one (yet), but for sure there are a lot of things that I can do to make a better life for people in my community.
Reflection
When I was told about this project I wasn't really looking forward to writing it. Having to dedicate many hours, while testing my research and language skills, looked to me at first as a hard and tiresome mission. Also, I understood that this project is very important for my grade, and that made me very nervous. When I slowly started working on the project, I realized that it's really not that boring or irritating. The research for the paper was very interesting, and I was very happy with the subject I picked to write on. Meeting Harav Pinchas and hearing about his incredible life was an experience I would never have if it wasn't for this project. Of course, not everything was so easy and fun: I had a very hard time with the high grammar and vocabulary level I had to use for these assignments, and it took me a lot of time and effort until I was pleased with the sentences I came up with. The pressure of having to finish the work in a certain time was very hard, and once I almost broke down after having parts of my profile deleted from the computer. But at the end, when my work is all done, I know that this project gave me a lot: It really improved my writing skills because I worked very hard on them, and It also gave me a reason to use the research skills I learned over the years. But most importantly, it made me feel proud of being an Israeli: In a time when all you hear about, is the matter of evacuations from different outpost communities or the corruptions of our leaders, those people and organizations really made me proud of being an Israeli, and really gave me hope for a better future. Of course, I have to thank my teacher Melissa Weglein who helped me a lot, and also thanks to my parents for their patience and support!
Notes:
ADL, 01.12.11, www.adl.org
Atara Burstein, interview with Harav Pinchas Rubenstein, Neve Daniel, 20.11.11
Table of Contents
Together
Research Paper
Rationale
I chose to do my project about "Palestinian Media Watch" because the media is a main part of our fight against the Palestinians. The technology in the world is developing very quickly, and as much as it's good, it can also be used for bad influence. The issues PMW works with have a huge impact ontheway the worldthinks about thePalestinians, and through that – they also impact the way the world thinks about Israel.Those things really interest me, and I want to expand my knowledge about these matters.In Which Ways Does "Palestinian Media Watch" Affects The World's Opinion About Israel?
Everyone likes the Web. It's easy to use and you can find anything you want to know – in just one click. People can write anything they want and post it for others to see. That's why it is so easy to deceive people and give them false information about many things. That's only one of the effects "Palestinian Media Watch" is trying to prevent – The world's falling into the trap called the Palestinian media.
The "Palestinian Media Watch" (PMW) was established in 1996 By Itamar Marcus. It's an Israeli research foundation that focuses on studying about the Palestinian authorities, by checking out different perspectives and analyzing the Palestinian culture, education and media. PMW's main target is to reveal the real messages the Palestinian leaders are sending to the Palestinian nation, and to the whole world population. The findings of those studies are usually presented to the world through the web, through reports PMW pass to leaders in different countries, and also through lectures representatives from the foundation gives in numerous universities, parliaments and other different places. The organization has a YouTube channel that contains hundreds of videos.
Itamar Marcus, the founder and head of PMW, is one of the biggest experts in Palestinians ideology. He was chosen by the government to represent Israel in negotiations with the Palestinians and the USA on the issue of incitement. He lectured about Palestinians policy studies in academic and political institutions, as well as USA and European parliaments.
There are a lot of other 'watchdog groups', for instance the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Their goal is to stop the slander against the Jews by appealing to the defamer's thinking and conscience, and if needed, by appealing to the law.They focus on Anti-Semitism in articles and cartoons that appear every day in the Arab media around the world. ADL also presents their finding in reports that are spread all over the world.
The Palestinian Media Watch, however, focuses more on what's going on in the Palestinian community. One thing they have succeeded in proving is the fact that the Palestinians educate their kids to "martyrdom", that is to develop and do suicide attacks in Israel. The Palestinian authorities, in contrast to the statements they make, do encourage the children to die "For Allah", and the kids are pushed by their parents, friends and educators to "Shahada" (martyrdom). Here are some examples PMW found about the case:
The first example is from a TV interview with the father of Ayat al–Akhras, a 17 year old, who killed two people and wounded 22 in a suicide attackin Jerusalem on the year 2002. The host of the show said that the goal of the 'Shahid' (martyr) Ayat al-Akhras deserves maximum respect. He emphasized that due to the fact that Ayat was very young when she became a "Shahid", she is a hero.
Another example is a music video that was played on the Palestinian TV between the years 2001-2004 that was named: "Martyrdom is sweet". The song described a letter written to the parents of a teenage boy who died as a 'Shahid':
"Don't be sad my dear father, and don't cry over my parting.
My dear father, for my country, I sacrificed myself.
With determination and desire, I will keep my promise.
How sweet is Shahada, when I am embraced by you, my land!
My beloved, my mother, most dear to me, be joyous over my blood,
Don't cry for me." (Palestinian Media Watch, 7)
In short, we see here that the Palestinians are trying to solve the conflict with Israel not through peace, but through killing and encouraging their kids to follow their lead and work out the problem only with violence. This way, the world can see that though Israel tries hard to bring this conflict to an end, they come across a dead end due to the Palestinian's twisted position.
Another thing PMW is responsible for is exposing Anti- Semitism in Palestinian schoolbooks: There were books that reflected the Palestinian's refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist, others that justified the war against the Jews and called it an everlasting battle in the name of the Islam religion. In one of the books there was a paragraph that said: "Palestine’s war ended with a catastrophe that is unprecedented in history, when the Zionist gangs stole Palestine and expelled its people from their cities, their villages, their lands and their houses, and established the State of Israel." (Palestinian Media Watch, 22). That’s only one example, and PMW is responsible for finding many more. They published a long report about this matter, and when leaders all over the world heard about that, they were shocked. Senator Hillary Clinton, in the press conference releasing the PMW report in the USA Senate building said: “These textbooks do not give Palestinian children an education; they give them indoctrination. It is disturbing on a human level, it is disturbing to me as a mother, and it is disturbing to me as a United States Senator, because it basically, profoundly poisons the minds of these children.” (Palestinian Media Watch, 22)
In conclusion, thanks to the "Palestinian Media Watch", the world is exposed tothe true face of the Palestinian leadership. They understand that behind the"innocent "Arabs, lays a very easy trap to be caught in. PMW makes sure that the world will understand trying to bring peace to the Middle East, but every time they hit a dead end that is expressed very well in the Palestinian media.Therefore, some countries stopped transferring funds to the Palestinian leadership due to PMW reports that proved that the Authority uses the money for indoctrination of hatred and incitement against Israel and other countries. Thanks to the organization, Israel is exposed-not like a wild animal the Palestinian media is trying to present Jews as-but as a state that seeks peace and not war. Itamar Marcus and his team are slowly succeeding in their goal, and they should be proud of what they did, and keep up with the great and hard work they are doing.
Profile
Rationale
I chose to interview Harav Pinchas Rubenstein because of a talk we had with him in Bnei - Akiva. He talked about his work in the 'Zoola', and I remember I was fascinated and wanted to hear more about it. I also heard from my parents a lot of great stories about him, and he sounded like an amazing person - which he is. It was a great interview and I was inspired very much from him. His amazing work in the 'Zoola' and his stories about it made me think about my life and how incredibly good they are. Those teenagers are around my age, and it really made me thank Hashem for everything he gave me. They also gave me an aspiration to give and to help more, as well as to become more aware of people me that may not look like they need help, but they do.Not Only Just A Dream
How did Rabbi Pinchas Rubenstein get to the 'Zoola' (the 'Zoola' is slang for a place to relax and hang out) and decide to work there? That is an amazing story: Back in 2000, when he still worked in "Makor Chaim" Yeshiva (Talmudic college) and lived in Jerusalem, Rav Rubenstein had a non-religious neighbor that thanks to Rubenstein became religious. At some point that neighbor began to work in the 'Zoola' and told Rubenstein that he has to come and see the place. Then he already lived in Neve Daniel, so one night he went to the 'Zoola 'with a neighbor who was also involved with the place. He described the first picture as "shocking, to see dozens of teenagers in really bad situations, and being told that most of them are religious. I saw drunkards and drugged teens, girls in terrible situations–it was awful".
Rabbi Rubenstein and the neighbor stayed there till 3 AM, and when he came home he couldn't fall asleep. The visions from the visit popped up and gave him no rest, and finally when he fell asleep, he had a dream.
The dream started with the actual events that happed that night: Going to the 'Zoola',being there for a couple of hours, coming back home and having sleep disruptions. But in the dream, instead of eventually falling asleep, Rubenstein decided to return to the 'Zoola'. Usually he has a problem just going somewhere because he has no driver's license, but in the dream the car drove by itself, with no driver. He got to the 'Zoola', but not where it was located then, but where it is today after it was transferred a few years later. When he entered the 'Zoola', he was blinded by very strong light, and when his eyes adjusted he saw lots of people that look like big and famous Rabbis, talking with each other. After several minutes of examination and astonishment, he woke up, and immediately knew that he's going to work inthe 'Zoola'. He knew that if those souls are really what he would deal with in that place, he must go back there. Once he got a feeling from above that tells him he can work with these kinds of people, even if they don't look like it but deep inside they are like it, he knew he needed to do it. He has this thought in his mind when he talks to a teenager from the 'Zoola', or anyone else: He knows the person has a pure soul inside of him, under all the outer covers which might not be so clean.
Rabbi Pinchas Rubenstein was born in Santiago, Chile. In 1971, when he was 11, there was a revolution; the Marxists took over Chileand nationalized a lot of money, coal mines and more. Serious economic problems developed, and as a result a lot of citizens, and among them a lot of Jews, immigrated to different places. Rubenstein's father decided that the family would move next to his brother, who was a head of a community in Germany. When he lived in Germany, Rubenstein refused to learn in non-Jewish school after learning in a Jewish school in Chile, therefore, he made 'Aliyah' (immigration to Israel) by himself and joined his sisters, who already lived in Israel.
Rabbi Rubenstein was inspired by his parents. Back in Chile, his father was the Rabbi of the community they lived in. That means he was also a slaughterer, a Mohel (circumciser) – all the things a Jewish community needs him to be. Rubenstein describes his home as a very warm and happy place, a home that was always opened to any human being – doesn't matter where he came from or in what social class he's in. The family held in the house events such as weddings and ritual circumcisions for people who had no ability to do it themselves. Those small and big deeds were the main inspiration for Rubenstein's work in the 'Zoola'.
The 'Zoola' was established in the year 2000. It's a meeting place for teenagers that are "searching for themselves", and go through a hard time in many ways: with parents, religion, school and more. A lot of those teens reach really bad places and behavior, and the founders of the place felt like they couldn't turn a blind eye. The 'Zoola' works on Tuesdays 'till 8 PM and Saturdays through the night. The main thing they do in the 'Zula' is talk: there is a crew of about 20 people whom the teens can turn to anytime. The place is a warm and homey place, and they accept everyone with no stigmas or terms. The best way for a person to return to a good path is to come back to his own self, and in the 'Zoola' the staff tries to help the teens to that. Of course, not everyone can relate or handle a conversation, so there are also some classes- art, music and creative writing. In this way those kids can work on themselves in a way they are most comfortable with. Furthermore, there is a computers room, a 'Beit Midrash' (place of Torah study) and a very special 'Zoola' area only for girls.
Rubenstein himself, among other staff people, has conversation with the teens. In those conversations they work to take off their masks and reach the core of their thinking. "To speak with those kids you need to develop skills for knowing how to work with every one of them personally by what he is,how to connect to each according to his level. It's amazing to see how changes evolve slowly, but it takes a lot of patience and those processes often takes a long time- sometimes even several years".
In addition, Rubenstein also talks with concerned parents, who are worried because they don't know what the 'Zoola' is. When they come and talk to him, they understand where their kids hang out -and relax. Rubenstein described a case of a guy who came every Saturday night from the Golan (3 hour away!), and his parents couldn't understand why he did that. When they came to the 'Zoola' for a talk and to see the place, they understood why it's so important for their child and relaxed.
The work in the 'Zoola' is very intensive, and Rubenstein doesn't have a lot of spare time. But he likes working there very much: "I couldn't do something without liking it. You can't really work in the 'Zoola' and do it with all your heart if you don't like it". He also talks about the satisfaction that he gets from working with the kids: "Receiving an invitation for a wedding of a girl who was in a very bad place a couple of years ago, and now she's marrying a yeshiva guy and looks very happy, is amazing. I can't even imagine in what place that girl would be, if it wasn't for the work in the 'Zoola' ".
When he does have some free time, Rabbi Rubenstein learns 'Torah' (Jewish biblical and rabbinic literature), and in the past he even gave 'Torah' lessons. He says that the 'Torah' taught him about lots of things in every level of life, and he loved the fact that he had a chance to pass it on. Besides, he also spends time with his family- He has 6 kids and 3 grandchildren, and he loves them all very much.
The work in the 'Zoola' affected and influenced Rubenstein's life in a lot of aspects. It gave him a chance to see the religious youth from a different perspective, and since he's still connected to "Makor Chaim" and still goes there at least once a week, he sees the contrast between the youth from the 'Zoola' and the young 'Yeshiva' guys. That contrast makes him look at each person from different angles, finding his own special self without including him in a group.
Harav Pinchas Rubenstein repeatedly emphasized during the interview that the most important thing is love. He learned, during his work in the 'Zoola', that the main ingredient that's missing in these teen's life, and in the world generally, is love. Love is a big issue, and no one can define it easily. He talked about a guy in the 'Zoola' who told him that if he could find the definition of love, and if he could 'sell the patent', he'd be a millionaire. There is no meaning for anything without love because then there are no feelings or communication. Without love, you can't get anywhere, and you can't really give.
Personal Connection
When we think about the "faces of Israel", we mostly think about our politicians, singers or basketball teams. We all usually think about the people that make the big, famous changes, the people that everyone knows their name and life story.
In this collage I made, I tried to show a different aspect of the faces of Israel. Every association was started by a small person or group, which wanted to change something, wanted to help. Every association has a different purpose and gives response to different groups in need. Those associations affect the life quality of many families, groups and people: The amazing projects they have, the huge impact they have on people's lives – that's what's important in our community and in our country. To think that they were all started by a small group or person – that makes me want to go out and make a change. Not the biggest one (yet), but for sure there are a lot of things that I can do to make a better life for people in my community.
Reflection
When I was told about this project I wasn't really looking forward to writing it. Having to dedicate many hours, while testing my research and language skills, looked to me at first as a hard and tiresome mission. Also, I understood that this project is very important for my grade, and that made me very nervous.When I slowly started working on the project, I realized that it's really not that boring or irritating. The research for the paper was very interesting, and I was very happy with the subject I picked to write on. Meeting Harav Pinchas and hearing about his incredible life was an experience I would never have if it wasn't for this project.
Of course, not everything was so easy and fun: I had a very hard time with the high grammar and vocabulary level I had to use for these assignments, and it took me a lot of time and effort until I was pleased with the sentences I came up with. The pressure of having to finish the work in a certain time was very hard, and once I almost broke down after having parts of my profile deleted from the computer. But at the end, when my work is all done, I know that this project gave me a lot: It really improved my writing skills because I worked very hard on them, and It also gave me a reason to use the research skills I learned over the years. But most importantly, it made me feel proud of being an Israeli: In a time when all you hear about, is the matter of evacuations from different outpost communities or the corruptions of our leaders, those people and organizations really made me proud of being an Israeli, and really gave me hope for a better future.
Of course, I have to thank my teacher Melissa Weglein who helped me a lot, and also thanks to my parents for their patience and support!
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